Bangladesh can no longer allocate additional resources for the growing Rohingya refugee population, interim leader Muhammad Yunus warned on Monday, calling on the international community to step up support.
Speaking at a two-day conference in Cox’s Bazar, home to over 1.3 million Rohingya in 33 camps, Yunus said the crisis has reached a breaking point. More than 150,000 new arrivals have been recorded since last year, yet the UN’s Joint Response Plan for 2025-26 has received only 36 percent of its $935 million target.
“Bangladesh does not foresee any scope whatsoever for further mobilization of resources from domestic sources,” Yunus said, noting the heavy toll on host communities in Cox’s Bazar. He urged that the Rohingya issue “must remain alive on the global agenda until they can return home.”
Repatriation efforts remain stalled as violence in Myanmar intensifies, particularly in Rakhine state where fighting between the junta and the Arakan Army has escalated. Yunus called for a practical roadmap to end the conflict, ensure safe returns, and strengthen accountability through international courts.
The Cox’s Bazar conference precedes a UN General Assembly meeting in September and a donor summit in Doha in December. Regional actors, including ASEAN, are also exploring new ways to pressure Myanmar to resolve the crisis.
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